


Gawaine and the Green Sharpshooter

by acegalahads



Category: High Noon Over Camelot - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: (it was in a flashback of sorts), Aromantic Bisexual Gawaine (High Noon Over Camelot), Aromantic Character, Bisexual Character, Canon Compliant, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Pre-Canon, as in i gave gawaine actual traits he had in the original, because hnoc gawaine is a shitty portrayal, warning for a character (mordred) being misgendered and deadnamed in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acegalahads/pseuds/acegalahads
Summary: A New Year's celebration in Camelot is interrupted by the arrival of a beautiful winged sharpshooter — who happens to be bright green.  When she challenges anyone there to try and harm her with a hatchet, on the condition that she'd get to return the blow a year later, a hotheaded young deputy named Gawaine accepts and decapitates her — before she picks it back up and rides off.  The following year, Gawaine sets out to prove his worth and fulfill his end of the bargain.A High Noon Over Camelot adaptation of Sir Gawaine and The Green Knight.
Relationships: Gawain (High Noon Over Camelot) & Jonny d'Ville, Gawain (High Noon Over Camelot) & Raphaella la Cognizi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	1. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright look, hnoc Gawaine is bad and underdeveloped, I'm working on MY hnoc Gawaine which isn't shitty but is technically canon compliant and this story lives in my mind rent free so I decided to adapt it. 
> 
> If you want to read a translation of the original [here are a few.](https://gawain-in-green.tumblr.com/post/633715203902750720/my-apologies-if-someones-asked-you-this-before) (disclaimer that none of these were the translation I read)
> 
> Aro bi Gawaine is important to me and isn't too relevant but you need to know about it.
> 
> Here's [my tumblr (updated link)](https://oh-peacemaker.tumblr.com/)

It was Christmas Eve in Camelot. No one really remembered what Christmas was, per se, (save for Galahad, the wandering preacher who had taken up shouting his gospel from the steps of the city hall, he was wrong, but no one really listened to him anyways) but they knew to celebrate it. A series of worksurfaces were pushed together on Main Street, to make one long banquet table that stretched out as far as the eye could see, designed to be able to seat the whole town. At its head, sat Arthur, the sheriff who had taken control of the town just five years before. On his right, sat Guinneviere, the fastest gunslinger Fort Galfriddian had ever seen, and Lancelot on his left, the sharpest marksman. Next to Guinneviere sat Gawaine, the youngest deputy of Camelot, who had reached eighteen over the course of the year beforehand. By Lancelot, Kay, Arthur’s older brother and closest confidant. The far end of the table quieted as the last few stragglers took their seats, and Arthur stood up prepared to speak, before being interrupted by the familiar sound of a horse’s hooves. The people of Camelot looked around to see who was missing but found every seat filled. Guinneviere reached for her gun in anticipation of what was to come. 

“Who is the leader of this town?” A voice rang out from the far end of the table. It was a woman on horseback, riding sidesaddle, with cherry red lips and a mole under her right eye (both of which were gleaming blue). She wore a loose denim shirt and a long wool skirt, with an ornate belt around her waist, under a long leather coat, impractical for the heat, with boots similar to the rest of the town’s. On her belt hung a syringe, and an old, rusted hatchet. The strange thing about her, however, was that her flowing hair, the wings folded behind her back and her horse itself, were a bright green. The townspeople had trouble recognizing this new color at first glance, it being brighter than any other color they’d seen, but with the comparison of the dull dyed cloth they were familiar with, the conclusion was made that she was just a very bright green.

The green-haired woman dismounted from her horse, walking slowly and deliberately to the head of the table, examining all she passed. 

“Well?” The people of Camelot were hushed.

Finally, as she reached the seat of the first member of the round table, Arthur spoke. 

“That would be me, Arthur, I’m Sheriff. You can stay here and join in the festivities for as long as you’d like.”

“Your reputation precedes you, Arthur, my intention coming here however wasn’t to join you. I’ve heard that your town hosts some of the best fighters in this world, despite being a sharpshooter by trade, I’ve come without a gun and I would very much like to test that in a fair fight.”

“So what you want is a one-on-one fight?”

“No, I believe that I’d outmatch anyone here even unarmed, instead, I’d like to propose a game, I challenge one of yours to strike me with this hatchet, and in one year and a day’s time, let me return the same blow.”

The people of Camelot sat there in stunned silence at what she was suggesting. 

“What? Is Camelot not the mighty town I’ve heard so much about?” She taunted.

“Your ‘game’ is absurd, but if you have to challenge someone, then I’ll do it.”

The green woman held out the hatchet to Arthur, a smile curling at the side of her lips, as he reached out to take it a new voice interrupted.

“I volunteer to do it!” Gawaine had jumped to his feet and ran around the edge of the table to stand by Arthur’s side before Guinneviere could stop him. “If you would let me, uncle, I’d like to take this one from you. You’re less disposable and  _ some people _ here can’t seem to  _ accept _ that sometimes  _ noble sacrifice _ is _necessary_.” 

A hush fell over Camelot, save for quiet whispers between the other deputies. Gawaine couldn’t hear them but he knew what they were saying.  _ There’s no way Arthur will let him _ .  _ He’s going to chicken out _ . Gawaine knew of the scared child they saw as they looked at him, running back from the camp, begging for help, or worse, collapsing onto the ground as he learned he was too late to stop the Saxon raiders who murdered his family. But that wasn’t him any more and the boy now known as Gawaine had something to prove. If someone’s life was going to be thrown away in just over a year then at least he would die more honorably than  _ them _ .

Arthur seemed to study Gawaine for a few minutes before simply walking back to his seat at the head of the table. 

“Good luck.” 

Gawaine nodded back at him, as if to say that he wouldn’t let him down.

“Now, who do we have here?”

"I’m Gawaine, deputy of Camelot.” He said, taking the hatchet out of the green woman’s hands.  “Where should I look for you and what’s your name?”

“Well, _Gawaine_ , I can tell you where to find me after you do your part, and as for my name, let’s not get too hasty. Shall we begin?”

“Gladly.”  


Gawaine had one shot to survive this and that was to kill her first, going for her torso was too risky, and limbs were out of the question if he wanted her dead. He had to go for the head. The woman seemed to know this and pulled her hair over one shoulder, as if to get it out of the way, Gawaine had a clear shot at her neck. Gawaine lifted the hatchet and brought it down in one fatal blow, causing her head to roll onto the ground. 

Instead of collapsing however, she straightened up, picked up her head, and climbed back onto her horse.

“You'll find me at the green chapel, in the direction from which I came from, I’m not hard to find, all you need to do is ask the locals. Don't be late.”

And with that she was gone.

Gawaine turned back to the table, Lancelot looked stunned, Guinneviere had one hand covering her mouth, everyone else looked at Gawaine like he was a dead man. 

Arthur interrupted the silence with a forced laugh.

“Well Gawaine, put that hatchet of yours away and rejoin the festivities.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I spent less time describing Raph in this than the original described the green knight.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a character (Mordred) being deadnamed/misgendered in a flashback of sorts

By the time Gawaine had gotten back, the festivities had commenced in Camelot like they always did, and he had found himself swept away in them, partying long into the night. But time went on and nights turned into weeks and the air in Fort Galfridian got hotter, like it did every year, and as always, Gawaine could swear this summer was hotter than the one before, but time continued on, and Gawaine continued through life with no thought of the green woman, until more time went on, and the station started to cool after the hot summer.

He was even more acutely aware of his fellow deputies’ whispers than in past years. In past years he’d been looked at like a child, helpless and with hopes of grandeur which everyone thought was just that - hopes. But now, he’d reached the age of nineteen, when no one had expected him to get past ten. 

And now he would be dead by twenty.

It seemed a waste, really, for him to be the only survivor of Arthur’s early allies’ camp, only for him to be planning to throw his life away, Morgause would have been thirteen by now, if she’d lived any longer. Gawaine had remembered complaining that it wasn’t  _ fair _ for him to share a birthday with his brand new baby sister, and that was just the first point of hostility. He liked to pretend that it had gone away, that he’d made up for the tantrums he’d thrown and the neglect directed at her for the first three years of her life, that by the time he reached nine, he’d grown to care about the little half-sister who followed him around, but he’d been such a wretched child, he feared it wasn’t so. 

At least the last time he saw her, he’d been kind.

He didn’t celebrate his birthday anymore.

He was sitting at the round table now. Arthur was talking and seemed to be wrapping up today’s meeting.

Gawaine waited until he was finished.

“Uncle?” Arthur looked over to him. “I think it’s time for me to leave for the green chapel. You know the promise I made last year, and I intend to follow through on it.”

The Town Hall erupted with chatter as the deputies either begged Gawaine to stay, wished him luck, or gossiped amongst themselves. Gawaine didn’t hear Arthur’s response, he was too numb to it all. 

Gawaine was putting on his nicest leather coat - the one with the patches he’d made by himself, in the shapes of pentacles - when his thoughts started to come back together. He stepped out into the town square to be met with a cheer, and he smiled the smug smile he’d one day be known for, for the very first time. He waved to passing townsfolk and as they saw him off, he felt like he was standing on top of the world.

It was night when he left, mounting his favorite horse, Gringolet, he meant to beat the heat as much as he could. 

And from that moment on, Gawaine was on his first quest.

He probably covered half the station over the course of the next few months, crashing through the flooded sector at full speed and steering clear of the Saxons in Annwn. He rescued towns, fought outlaws, broke hearts and did everything else he’d heard in tales of great heroes as a child, asking everyone he met along the way if they knew anything about the green woman or her chapel, none of them had ever heard of anything quite like it though, so he carried on alone.

It was the fifth day before the one he was slated to die - and the sun was setting - when he saw a town in the distance. He rode in cautiously before dismounting and walking around on foot, this one seemed much less orderly than Camelot, and Gawine passed several fights in the streets, but he kept his head down and kept Gringolet close.

There was no town hall to speak of, only a saloon located in what Gawaine thought was the center of the town.

Gawaine looked back and forth before stepping inside, he’d decided to take Gringolet with him, just in case, if someone had a problem with his horse, they had a problem with him.

The place was fairly empty when he walked in, which would be a relief if he wasn’t acutely aware of how many places there were for someone to hide and ambush him at any given time. The apparent owner of the place beckoned him forwards, and he walked towards the bar.

The girl across from him was beautiful, she had long golden hair which looked faded from time, cherry red lips, sharp blue eyes and silver wings folded behind her back, the man next to her had blue eyes and brown hair, with odd black lines surrounding his eyes… As soon as Gawaine sat down, the man stood up and left, and Gawaine looked over in the direction he went.

“That’s just my husband, ignore him.”

“Where is this place?”

“This is the biggest Outlaw Town around, but I suppose you’re too much of a good and law abiding deputy to know that.” She pouted, as if teasing him. 

“How did you know I’m a-”

“You forgot to remove that badge of yours when you entered the gates. I’m surprised you haven’t been jumped already, dear.” Gawaine reached up and felt the metal symbol of his authority - and slipped it into his pocket. “Much better. Now, what’s a boy like you doing around these parts?”

Gawaine explained his life story to her and she watched him as if she knew what was going to happen next. Her eyes seemed to dissect every word, and it was like he was some sort of experiment. At some point in time she slid a plate of food across the table to him, which he gladly accepted. He finished with a question about if she knew anything to help him on his quest. 

“Well you should have started with the question, darling, everyone in this town knows where the green chapel is, it’s less than an hour away.”

“It is?”

The woman nodded. 

“You said you have to be there four days from today, right? You can stay here in the meantime.”

“I don’t remember saying…” Gawaine trailed off, he’d told her a lot more than he’d intended to and he couldn’t remember clearly what he had and hadn’t said, she watched him, expectantly. “Thank you.”

“Good! Now, I’d uh, I’d tell you to follow me but… I don’t think your horse would do too well on the stairs...”

“Oh, right, uh…”

“Hm… We have stables but they’re in the back… I’ll show you to them.”

With that, the woman was walking towards the door, and Gawiane followed her.

“Gawaine?”

“Hm?”

“How would you feel if I challenged you to a game? For each day that you stay here, I’ll give you everything I get during the day, for myself of course, not for the saloon itself that’d be foolish, and you’ll give me everything you get during the day.”

“That sounds alright to me, although, I don’t think I could get anything while just resting here.”

“Well, you may be surprised.”

“Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm glad that I've finally gotten this finished, i don't have much to say here but my tumblr is now [here](https://oh-peacemaker.tumblr.com/), I'll change the links in my other fics later, I'm exhausted.


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